


Snapshots

by Eicosanoids



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, prompt requests
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-08
Updated: 2014-12-10
Packaged: 2018-02-28 16:17:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2738909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eicosanoids/pseuds/Eicosanoids
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Collection of tumblr prompt requests, one shots featuring the 12th Doctor & Clara Oswald.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Space Oddity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Prompt: The Doctor is a struggling musician who just travels playing his blue acoustic guitar and Clara is Clara and they bump into each other one day.

The clattering of coins dropping into his guitar case made him look up to thank the kind patron for their donation. Except he wasn’t expecting _her._ A young woman stood happily in the street bobbing her head to the music while clutching a stack of folders to her chest.

He nearly stopped playing because he was stunned that someone like her would ever stop and listen to his playing. Not that he thought he was a bad musician –he personally thought that he could give the popular artists a run for their money- but his age was often a deterrent.   _Poor sod,_ he often heard, _if he didn’t make it when he was younger, why even bother trying anymore?_

It made his blood boil to hear those comments but he bit his tongue from replying with a snippy retort. It wasn’t good for business considering he barely got by from what he made by playing music. The few times his anger had been unleashed weren’t good days; it was difficult to keep his temper under control. It was partly the reason why he wasn’t exactly employed as a musician.

But he had a roof over his head and food in his stomach so he really shouldn’t be complaining. So long as he had the thrum of the guitar beneath his fingertips and could allow his instrument to sing throughout the cities, he was happy. Music was, after all, what he had fallen in love with. The first time he watched a live performance made him certain that there was nothing else out there in the world that he’d rather be doing. He didn’t want, or expect more from his life than this.

Until he laid his eyes on the woman who was still hovering nearby even after he had finished his song. A brilliant smile stretched across her face when it was done and she made an attempt to clap despite the folders she was holding. “That was bloody brilliant! I loved your rendition of Space Oddity.”

A faint blush crept its way across his face as he ducked his head almost shyly. “Well, thank you. I didn’t know that anyone would still recognize that song.”

“I thought the tune was familiar when I was walking by…I listened to it loads when I was growing up. It was my mum’s favorite song.” She looked nostalgic for a second, drifting off into her thoughts before she quickly shook herself out of her daze. “You’re a wonderful guitarist,” She complimented before reaching into her bag and scrambled to take out her wallet.

Somehow, it didn’t feel right to just _take_ her money considering how she had just dropped some coins earlier. “No, it’s alright,” He waved a hand aside, trying to convey to her that it wasn’t needed. “Thank you for your earlier donation. It’s nice to know that people still like David Bowie.” He smiled, ”Thought they’ve been forgotten like a dream.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “No way, how could you not love him? It’s nice though, the music reminds me of my mum. How could I ever possibly forget?” _Ah_ , he realized, _so there was a personal connection to the music._ “I insist,” The woman dropped a few bills into his guitar case before giving him a wink. “It really made my day to hear that song again. So thank you for that.”

With those words, how could he ever say no to that? Obliging, he swept up the money in the case, he could mentally count about twenty pounds, tucking them into the pockets of his coat. “What else did your mum used to listen to?” He asked as he slung the guitar back on. A thoughtful look crossed her face before she replied, “Maybe…I don’t know, maybe ‘Oh! You Pretty Things’? To be honest, I think they’re more of my favorite artist than my mum’s.” She looked embarrassed and he let out a tender smile.

“What do you know, that’s one of my favorites too,” He answered before closing his eyes to collect his thoughts. He remembered one of their songs well, his fingers automatically moving to the correct positions as if they had always been there before. And when he started playing, he didn’t even need to think about the notes, the music began to fill the air with absolute magic.

When he opened his eyes again, he could see the woman had closed her own eyes to experience the song. There was a peaceful, tranquil look to her features which was in those who truly loved their music. The songs that really stay with you are the ones that you could completely envelop yourselves in. Music was in a way, a form of love.  And he knew that feeling in his chest, the same feeling he felt when he decided that he was going to become a musician, as he watched her surrounded by the sound of his music.


	2. Sweaters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clara keeps stealing the Doctors hoodies and sweaters, he pretends like he minds but secretly he's rather pleased. Requested by staymay5 on tumblr.

“How long does it take you to get dressed? Clara, I know it’s a good thing that you’re trying to make an effort but there comes a point when you’re overcompensating.” He tapped his finger against the console repetitively, an irritated expression on his face. “The first solar eclipse on Earth is not going to wait for you!” He called out into the hallways.

“I’m done, I’m done!” Came Clara’s reply as she came rushing up the steps of towards the main console, a harried expression on her face as she fumbled with her phone. “Sorry, I forgot I had to take care of some work thing, scheduling some time for the school play-“

“What are you wearing?” The Doctor demanded as he stared at her. Rather, staring pointedly at the black sweater he had that she had deemed carried a “moth-eaten” feel to it. So what if it had a few holes?

It was incredibly large on her figure as the tips of Clara’s fingers could only be seen from her grasp on her phone. She didn’t seem concerned over the clothes she was wearing as she glanced down for a second before turning her attention back to her phone. “I didn’t have time to get dressed; I’ve been so caught up with trying to schedule my calendar right,” She admitted, “I found this in the wardrobe so…I figured this would be warm enough. You don’t mind, do you?”  

He made a face. “I do. Take it off.”

Clara briefly took her eyes off of her phone to shoot him a deadpan expression. “Do you seriously want me to strip in front of you and come with you outside in my bra? Because really, if that’s what you’re implying…” That got him to be quiet as he stuttered out a no, shaking his head vehemently. “Well then, you’ll just have to deal with it then,” She replied. “Besides, I’ve seen your closet. You really have a number of these…did you send an eclipse of moths on these sweaters?”

The Doctor gritted his teeth, willing himself not to rise up to her taunts. Fine, just this once.

—-

Except, it really wasn’t just once with Clara.

After she realized that she could get away with wearing his clothes, it seemed like his wardrobe had been steadily diminishing. Every so often, he would catch her wearing his assortment of sweaters around the TARDIS. Clara wasn’t very big so some of his sweaters looked gigantic on her; the sweaters were reaching her thighs at times. Somehow, she had declared them to be incredibly cozy and had taken to wearing them when she slept.

He had told her that there was any number of nightgowns she could pick from the TARDIS wardrobe but she had just shrugged and walked away. Why bother changing to something new when it was already comfortable enough?

“You could ask, you know.” The Doctor raised an eyebrow at Clara’s retreating figure as she clutched one of his hoodies to her chest. She turned at the sound of his voice with a quizzical expression to her face and he continued. “They’re _my_ sweaters. You could ask to borrow them. And maybe I’d say yes.”

Clara was silent for a few moments as she mulled over the options before sending him a knowing smirk. “Well, you haven’t complained yet. I don’t really think you mind it as much anymore.”

_That was true,_ The Doctor realized with growing horror, _he didn’t think it was a problem anymore._

And wasn’t that a thought?

—-

“Why is it so cold in here?” Clara demanded to know, teeth chattering. They were in a darkly lit tunnel in a cave, led by a group of the island’s natives. For some reason, strange supernatural events had occurred on their quaint island…and all of the clues had pointed to this particularly ominous cave.

Of course, the cave was rather chilly the deeper they went in. Clara wasn’t dressed for the chill, after all, since the island was in fact, tropical. The Doctor shot her a glance, slight worry in his own eyes as he slowed down his pace to match her’s. “Well, we’re going deeper underground. Chances are, there’s no way for any form of heat or light to enter. So it’s only going to get colder from here.”

“Yes, that explanation really helps,” Clara responded dryly, crossing her arms tightly around herself in an effort to keep her body heat.

It took a few moments of careful consideration before the Doctor shrugged off his own jacket before draping it across her shoulders. The sudden weight must have surprised her because she glanced back up at him in confusion. Quickly patting the jacket down on her shoulders, he hopped back a careful distance away from Clara and added hastily as an explanation, “Time Lords can handle cooler weathers. We’ve got a lower core body temperature than you humans so the cold won’t bother me.”

He could see her wrap the warm jacket closer around her, bundling herself up almost like a blanket. Maybe just maybe, he quite liked the way his clothes looked on her.  It was as if it was a proxy for him, a way to protect her without his physical presence. Even if the only protection they could offer was against the elements. Genuine gratitude flickered across her face as she smiled at the Doctor. “Thank you.”

It was lucky that the cavern was quite dark so she couldn’t see the reddening of the tips of his ears. The Doctor looked away, not wanting his embarrassment to show. “Don’t mention it,” He said gruffly. “It’s fine; you’re always wearing my clothes anyways. Not like I have a choice in that matter.”  

And if he was secretly pleased that she was, well, that was a secret that he’d take to the grave.


	3. Chai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twelve works in the coffee shop Clara likes to go into every day, and she tries to figure out how to ask him out for a date.

“One large chai tea latte please,” Clara recited her order automatically before reaching into her bag for her wallet. She went through the same routine every morning; starting every brand new day with a nice cup of chai tea latte.  Espresso Time was a café she frequented, it helped that it was only a few blocks down from the school. So she got the chance to grab a tea –or a coffee if she was desperate- before classes began for the day.

Recite her order, pay, receive her tea, thank the barista and walk to an empty seat to enjoy her tea and read over her lesson plans for the day.

Except it didn’t seem like the universe wanted her to keep to her normal,  _regular_ routine.

[[MORE]]

“Are you sure?” A gruff Scottish voice caused Clara to stop digging into her wallet for the right amount of change and look up. There was a man on the other side of the counter that she had never seen before. Normally it was the awkward lad with the funny looking chin, a rather nice if albeit clumsy at times. In contrast, this man had a perpetual scowl on his face. His expression made Clara raise a challenging eyebrow.

“Uh…yes? I ordered it just now,” Clara pointed out as she returned her attention to the wallet.

“You could have anything on the menu. We’ve got amazing winter lattes for a limited time and you’re just going to get a chai tea latte?”

He seemed relentless in his pursuit and Clara tried to bite her tongue from saying anything too harsh. She didn’t like to be disagreed with. “I can assure you that this is what I want. Or should I speak with the manager because you’re not willing to give me my order….” She paused to look at the badge on his chest. “… _Doctor_.” Clara furrowed her brows. Weird nickname.

The Doctor let out a low sigh but it seemed as if he was surrendering because he held out his hands for her to pay him. “Figured I’d give it a shot, I didn’t mean to upset you. I just wanted to maybe change your mind and try something different,” He explained before scribbling something on the cup. “I’ll get right on your boring chai latte then.” She made a sound of protest that the barista pointedly ignored as he set to work.

Luckily, the Doctor worked a lot faster than Smith, Clara realized when a steaming cup of chai was settled in front of her in a matter of moments. “Here you go,” he waved his hand to the cup with a flourish. “I could’ve made you something magical but you choose something dull instead.” Clara let out an amused chuckle as she took the cup in her hands gingerly. Somehow, the man was growing on her. Or maybe it was just because she finally had her tea to start the day.

“Well, this dull latte is enough to satisfy me,” She remarked before turning on her heels to find an empty table. There weren’t many people lounging around in the café at this hour, most just grabbed what they needed and headed off to work. As a school teacher, she still had at least a good half hour to kill before she needed to head out.

With one hand, she reached for her folder and she absently sipped some of her latte at the same time. She nearly dropped her folder after her initial sip, surprised at how wonderfully it tasted. Chai tea lattes were her favorite but it was a lot creamier and richer than she had ever tasted it to be.  It really was like  _magic_  in her mouth.

Hastily picking up her folder and placing it on the table, she shot a glance to the Doctor who was watching her with a smug expression on his face. As if he  _knew_  just how good he was at his job. Wrinkling her nose, she pointedly turned away to focus back on her work.

Just because he was good didn’t mean that she had to make conversation with him. He was still arrogant and too sure of himself.

—-

She still had her routine every morning. It was just changed.

Every morning, like clockwork, she would order her chai tea latte. The Doctor would question about her choice and remark about her lack of adventure. But at the end, he still grudgingly made her the best chai tea lattes she had ever tasted in her entire life. That was reason enough for her (plus the short distance) to keep going to the café every morning. She still went, even after the Doctor had worked up the courage to shoot remarks at her whenever the café was quiet.

“Why don’t you ever get anything exciting? Or new –you’re not a young woman anymore,” He said at one point, pulling over a chair to sit in front of her. She cocked an eyebrow at him for a fraction of a second before casting her eyes down to her work. “I am a young woman, thank you very much,” She retorted. “Besides, there’s not much excitement in trying anything new. I’d rather travel if I really wanted an adventure.”

“Yes but coffee and tea is a lot cheaper,” The Doctor pointed out. She didn’t reply after some time, she had no reply ready for him, but luckily the silent treatment was enough for him to let out a sigh before she heard the shuffle of the chair to signal his departure. Peace and quiet, she thought as she quickly scribbled some notes onto the page.

Except it didn’t last for long before suddenly a plate with a croissant was shoved right on top of her work. “Cinnamon croissants, it’s a specialty I introduced to this place,” The Doctor announced. “Come on, take it. It’s on the house.”

Well, she would never pass up a free snack. Murmuring thanks a she reached for the croissant, she sent a quizzical expression towards the Doctor. “Aren’t you, I don’t know, not supposed to give customers free snacks? Won’t your manager get mad?”

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. “Well, that’s not a problem when I’m the manager.” Clara nearly spat out the croissant she had bitten into –which was absolutely heavenly- and she stared at him with eyes as wide as dinner plates. “But you, I never ever saw-“

“-me before?” The Doctor finished her sentence before giving a sheepish smile. “I’ve been busy establishing a couple of other Espresso Times across the country. But I’m done making sure none of the other operations are going to mess up so I decided to come back to the first one.” He patted the table tenderly. “Well, that and Smith quit to go back to school. So someone needed to take over.”

Clara nodded slowly at his explanation before giving an impressed look around the café. “Wow. You’re really making it big, aren’t you? I thought this was a small time café…” An embarrassed expression crossed the Doctor’s face as he gave a shrug of his shoulders. “Well, it was meant to be. But a friend of mine convinced me to open up more.” His gaze traveled around the café nostalgically. “But I’ll always return home.” A warming smile crossed Clara’s face as she finished off the last of the croissant, leaving nothing but crumbs on the plate.

“That’s a really lovely creation you’ve got there,” Clara complimented as she passed the plate back to the Doctor. “You know, maybe you’ll just convince me to try something new someday.” That must’ve been the magic words because she could see a glint of amusement pass across his eyes.

“One day.” He insisted before standing up and briskly started for the counter. Not before he turned around and asked, “Wait. So I never got your name.  I probably should, since you’re quite the regular customer.”

She hesitated for a moment in giving her name –she really wanted to know what his real name more than anything- before she decided to give in. “It’s Clara. Clara Oswald.”

—-

After their first, real conversation, the floodgates of discussion opened. It was like an addition to the routine Clara had grown comfortable in and she adapted to it. She would order, he would counter her order and while she wouldn’t budge on her tea, she would occasionally pick one of the patisseries instead as a side. Or sometimes he would pass her a new cookie or muffin that he had just developed and insisted that she be his taste-tester.

What began as a quiet morning routine grew less quiet as time went on, they would often banter back and forth while he prepared her chai tea latte. And if the morning rush passed quickly enough, he would take a seat directly across from her table where they began to discuss everything from the latest headline news to deep literature analyses. Or even about aspects of their lives which were polar opposites almost. She learned that he had never wanted to follow the family tradition of becoming a doctor and ran off to start his own café business. He used the moniker ‘Doctor’ to spite his family and it backfired on him eventually because he grew to like the name better than his given one. She knew that he loved traveling and that he had been to most of the places she had yet to visit. Yet, funnily enough, he had rarely been able to explore London. She even knew that hated karaoke and mimes but rather enjoyed astronomy.

It was funny how easy it was for them to settle into a new routine, a routine where Clara found herself smiling more and more at the Doctor.

And then she began to realize that her heart skipped a beat every time he smiled right back at her.

—-

Maybe she was being too nervous. She had it all under control, or, at least she thought she did.

Did she?

Clara hovered by the entrance way of the café. Her hesitation was unbecoming; she never used to be this unsure. But in matters of love, well, it wasn’t something she considered herself to be rather skilled at. The only reason why she was able to enter the café, the soft chime from the top of the door signalling her arrival was the fact that regardless of the outcome, she’d end up with a decent drink.

The Doctor smiled at her brightly when he realized that she had arrived and he gave her a little wave. “Clara!” He greeted, “Your usual today? I’ve just gotten a fresh batch of chai tea-“

“Actually Doctor,” She interrupted him quickly. “I was…I was actually thinking of trying something new today.” She paused for a moment to scan the offered drinks on the menu on the walls, squinting slightly in her attempt to appraise each drink carefully. “How about…oh, I really don’t know what to choose. What would you recommend?”

She hadn’t been looking at the Doctor when she spoke but now that her attention was fully on the barista, she was pleasantly surprised at the shocked expression on his face. That was something she rarely saw. The shocked face turned into a look of absolute delight. “That’s a big change of heart.”

She gave a short shrug. “Yeah, they happen.”

“Seriously?” His smile was infectious and she couldn’t help but smile back at him, her heart beating even louder in her ears. What did she have to lose?

“And maybe as payment for trying something new, I could take you somewhere different too,” Clara said in a rush of words before she waited, with bated breath for his reply.

She didn’t have to wait long before she noticed the softening of his gaze and he reached out, across the counter to grasp her hand tightly. It was a tender gesture, one that left her heart racing as he leaned forward close to her face.

“Why not? I’ll never say no to taking a chance.”

It was then that Clara realized what the Doctor brought in her life. Gone were the days when she stuck to her routine like clockwork. Yet piece by piece, fragment by fragment, the Doctor had eased her comfortably in a life of uncertainty and one where a routine was constantly shifting and changing, never standing still. She might not know what she was going to get every time she tried something new. But maybe that was the point. Because even if there were stumbles and imperfections, there was also the possibility that she would grow to love it.

Maybe it was time to start taking chances.


	4. Love is a promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> one time when Clara realises that she loves the doctor & a proper Whouffaldi kiss to follow the cheek kiss

It happened so suddenly and unexpectedly that she didn’t know what to make of it.

Love had always been an emotion that blossomed slowly for her. Affection grew in her chest like a slow burn before she felt the surge of dopamine and serotonin that made her cheeks flush and her heart beat a little faster. She was never one to fall in love in a matter of seconds no. Love was a complex emotion, layered with a different meaning for each person she knew. Yet as a person who kept track of every aspect of their life, it was easy for her to create meanings, stringing words together for every person she met.

Except when it came to  _him_.

Six months had passed since she had last seen him. Six months since she heard the groaning of the blue box settling in her living room and six months since she realized that she had lost both Danny and the Doctor.

Six months was a lot of time to let her emotions and thoughts simmer. To recollect them and tidy them up into neat little boxes within her mind. Staying organized was how she maintained her composure and take back control of her own life. She had made a decision by the end of the six months of who she wanted to be before he came back.

And then all of her rules, her tidy plans and organized ideas went flying out the window.

Clara could always blame it on the fact that they were always on the run. On the go –there was no time to stop and chit chat when you had aliens running behind you and wanting to kill. The whole escapade felt so surreal (Santa was real?) but in the end, it was still her and the Doctor.

Together, as they should be.

When they said their goodbyes and disappeared back into the TARDIS, that’s when the realization occurred to her. It just clicked in her mind, almost as if the piece missing in heart had been found. Or rather, it had never left at all.

The Doctor always came back. No matter how far apart they’ve gone, it was never for long. No matter how bad things had gotten, all of their arguments and disputes, in the end, they were all resolved. And when he returned, it was as if nothing had changed; that their…friendship, or whatever it was, could stand the test of time.

_And wasn’t that love? Love wasn’t just the rush of affection and romance that you see in every romance movie. It doesn’t have to send a thrill down your spine or make you feel butterflies in your stomach. It wasn’t a string of pretty words._

It was more than that.

_“Do you think I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?”_

When she looked at the Doctor now (fully, she’s fully seeing him now), all she could think was just how true his words had been. Love meant being fully committed and being fully bound to one another that it didn’t matter what the other did –they would always stand together, hand in hand to face the universe. Together.

Clara had scarcely heard a word of what the Doctor was saying, mumbling something about how irritating Santa could be or something, before she took a step forward. And another. And another and another before she stood almost nose to nose to the Time Lord who didn’t seem to notice how close she had gotten to him.

Until she leaned forward, using her hands to cup the small of his neck to meet their lips together. The Doctor must’ve been distracted because he gave a small jerk out of surprise. But once the initial surprise had died away, he didn’t pull away. He wrapped his arms around her, almost tentatively and shyly around her waist, taking her deeper into the kiss.

Even when they pulled apart, their faces were still close, feeling his ragged breath against her skin. Their eyes locked and she could almost feel the flicker of uncertainty that passed through them. It was the kind of guarded look that was familiar to her, that he was so certain that things turned out for the worse that it could never possibly, ever go in his favor.

This time, however, she knows that it will. She pulled herself up onto her toes to give the Doctor a quick kiss on his cheeks before pulling back and smiling softly back at him. It was a promise, and understanding must have dawned upon the Time Lord because his eyes were infinitely wide with something akin to joy. She leaned her head forward against his chest and it helped that the Doctor had wrapped his arms even tighter around her, keeping her snug and safe against his chest. It was quiet, save for the heartbeats against her ears which was like a soothing rhythm.

They stayed in silence like this, the two of them in this position for a long time. Maybe even forever, she hoped.  They didn’t need words. They already knew.

Because love, it’s not an emotion. Love is a promise.


End file.
